Early Swim on a Rainy Day

Here's where I spent yesterday morning all before 7am....

My alarm went off at 5:30 am, which meant that I had exactly thirty minutes to get dressed, grab all of my bags {pool bag, work bag, lunch bag, handbag} and drive across town to the community center.  The goal was to be in the pool by 6am and out by 7am...which did happen {give or take five minutes or so}.

Way back in the summer when I was on the "DL" with an Achilles injury I swam a ton and honestly, I never felt better.  Lately I've been craving that feeling of both relaxation and exhaustion from a water workout, so I decided it was time to dip my toes in the pool. 

Since I only had less than an hour, I decided to take an old workout and cut it down to fit my swimming fitness level.  Here's how it went...

Warm-up: 300 yards 

10 x 50 yards {10 seconds rest}

2 minutes rest

5 x 75 yards {40 seconds rest}

2 minutes 

Cool down: 300 yards 

Now that I think back to those summer workouts, I was accomplishing a ton more in the pool.  However, I have to remember that it took quite a few sessions before I was able to do that.  

In case you're interested...here are a few posts from those workouts:

Swimming and Some Coffee 

A Family Wedding {swimming workout is at the end of this post}

 Hot Run, Swim and a New Camera

Swimming Longer and Longer 

After I finished, a treat to myself for getting up early and swimming in cold water was to take about minutes in the hot tub before hitting the shower.  That short period of time felt so good on a dreary rainy morning!

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Last night I had the house to myself, so I wanted to throw together a healthy meal without cooking.  The thought of preparing a meal AND doing the dishes was not in the cards so I tossed together this salad.     

On top of a bed of mixed greens was quinoa, feta cheese, edamame, dried cranberries and walnuts tossed with a lime olive oil and coconut white balsamic vinegar dressing.  It was totally delicious and satisfying.  Plus, I even had some room left for dark chocolate and a glass of my favorite red.  

What type of workouts do you like to do to break away from your normal routine?